Planning and Housing Commissions to Begin Public Interviews for Choice Neighborhoods Planning Consultant

The City of Flint Planning Commission and the Flint Housing Commission will begin interviewing three candidates interested in becoming consultants for the City’s Choice Neighborhoods Planning Initiative.The top three firms include Houseal Lavigne Associates, Camiros, Ltd., and EJP Consulting Group LLC.

Interviews will be conducted on Wednesday July 29^th at 6:00 PM before a public audience and will be held in Flint City Hall Council Chambers, located on the third floor of City Hall.  During the meeting, the consultant teams will present their proposals after members of the Flint Planning & Housing Commissions conduct interviews. A team of professionals, City staff, Housing Commission staff, and residents have reviewed the four proposals received and the three firms with the highest scores will be interviewed.

A significant portion of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative involves public engagement.  The public is invited and encouraged to attend the interviews where comment cards will be provided to record comments and other feedback.  This information will be considered by both commissions and city staff during the final selection process.

Consultant teams were invited to submit proposals that demonstrated their interest and qualifications to lead the development of a Transformation Plan for the Choice Neighborhoods project in the South Saginaw Corridor. The City of Flint was one of six cities this year that received a planning grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the amount of $500,000. This grant is for planning only over the next two years, which means that no significant changes will be happening immediately. This planning process, once completed, will result in a Transformation Plan that will help steer the redevelopment and revitalization of Atherton East and the South Saginaw Corridor.

The Transformation Plan will outline the potential redevelopment, identify potential funding sources, and detail the needs of the community, identified by the community. The plan will need approval by the Planning Commission, Housing Commission, and the Flint City Council before being implemented.

For more information contact Kristin Stevenson, Choice Project Coordinator at (810) 766-7426 ext. 2065. Or visit the Choice Project page at ImagineFlint.com